First US Nuclear Reactors Approved Since Three-Mile Island

The U.S. Nuclear Reg­u­la­tory Com­mis­sion approved licenses to build two new nuclear reac­tors Thurs­day, the first autho­rized in over 30 years.

The reac­tors are being built in Geor­gia by a con­sor­tium of util­i­ties led by South­ern Co. (SO, For­tune 500) They will be sited at the Vog­tle nuclear power plant com­plex, about 170 miles east of Atlanta. The plant already houses two older reactors.

“Today marks an advance­ment in our nation’s energy pol­icy,” South­ern Com­pany chief exec­u­tive Thomas Fan­ning said at a press con­fer­ence after the approval. “The project is on track, and our tar­gets related to cost and sched­ule are achievable.”

The 5-member NRC voted in favor of the licenses four to one, with Chair­man Gre­gory Jaczko dissenting.